The following report is disseminated by IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States. Reposting or reproduction, with attribution, for non-commercial purposes is permitted.
The groups say that the number of victims of "sexual cleansing" is growing on a daily basis.
"In the past three months, more than 30 gays have been executed in Baghdad. The bodies have been found tortured, mutilated - sometimes with signs of rape," said Mustafa Salim, spokesman for the Rainbow for Life Organisation (RLO), a Baghdad-based gay rights NGO.
"Notes were found near some of the bodies with messages saying that this is going to be the fate for any Muslim who denies the Islamic religion," Salim added.
RLO was set up in 2005, and Salim claims that since then they have recorded more than 230 cases of abuses against gays and lesbians, including more than 64 deaths - with the last three months being the most bloody.
"The gay community continues to be subjected to systematic terror by Shia militias, especially the Mahdy Army controlled by the religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr. The government of Iraq is refusing to offer protection," he added.
In an interview, one member of the Mahdy Army, Ali Hassany, said that the militia will target Iraq's gays and lesbians.
"They deserve death. Those people are an embarrassment to our society. Killing such people is a job for their families, but if they cannot do so by their own hands, we will do it," Hassany said.
For security reasons, RLO has been keeping a very low profile. The whereabouts of its offices are unknown and it maintains clandestine contacts with victims and volunteers.
"Four of our volunteers have been killed since 2005 and many threats have been received, but we will not stop trying to help those people. They don't have anyone to help them and even the government considers them victims of common violence rather than victims of special targeting," Salim added.
The Iraqi Ministry of the Interior denies that the gay community is being singled out for violent attacks, and claims that the problem is general and related to sectarian violence.
"All Iraqis might be victims of violence. We cannot afford protection to a special group because the situation is delicate for all Iraqis and we cannot confirm that they have been targeted for being gays or lesbians," said Lt. Col. Hussein Jaboury from the ministry.
The United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) says that it agrees that gays and lesbians are being targeted by the militias.
"Armed Islamic groups and militias have been known to be particularly hostile towards homosexuals, frequently and openly engaging in violent campaigns against them," a report released in January by UNAMI said.
"There have been a number of assassinations of homosexuals in Iraq. We were also alerted to the existence of religious courts, supervised by religious scholars, where homosexuals allegedly would be 'tried', 'sentenced' to death and then executed," the report added.
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now that is what we call curiosity.
yeah u right,forget about that. ^_^
Sorry, didn't get it.
I have come out to my father, after already knowing that death is the result of my "choice".
I constantly live in fear that one day he will find where I live, or where my friends live, and either him or his 'associates' will end up at one of these doors.
I feel strongly towards this situation, and I hope for the best towards all Muslim Gay men & women.
As for those of you who think it's "curious" for them to rape before being killed, rape has NOTHING to do with the sexual act (in and of itself -- in the form of pleasure for either party) but rather an act of control. The person being raped is subjected to several forms of degredation during the act, and the rapist is the person in complete control.
Can you imagine what it must be like, to take something so sacred as sex, something that is so mutual, and turning it into an act of hatred?
These gay men and women will know be reminded every time they perform sex what it was like to be raped by those with no feelings towards them, and constantly be in fear that it could happen again.
And I assure you, that Muslim rape is not like any other you can ever imagine upon anyone, let alone their tortures.
I hope you all think twice before posting about something so serious as this.
Surely by sodomising their victims before killing them, the executors become guilty of the same crime as the victims? Surely then they are also required to execute their fellow soldiers?
Does casual sex between the soldiers constitute a similar activity to, say, target practice for a firing squad?
It's most unfortunate decent humans who happen to be karmically borne into that race and faith has to instinctively defend their sanctity of good; but with what is really happening in the real world, how then can they justify what their faith is producing.
I would not be surprised if I had posted my views on a public notice in a country of that particular faith with my face and name on it, I would be executed in the name of cleansing, instead of normally inviting a civilised debate on free speech in a civilised world. Such is for the glory of their own evil judgement.
That's why anyone who uses religion profanely to coat his/her actions and judgements on others are not worshipping the true God, our true maker.
God is about Love, Forgiveness, Brotherhood, Harmony, Peace and many many things good; everything that this so called faith is NOT.
The Real True One God help us all.
Religious leaders should be more aware of this than others. And yet, they still kill. Weather it's fellow Muslims or others from other faiths.
I am ashamed of the religious leaders we have today. Even our prophet never killed unless necessary. But, who am I to voice such opinions, these leaders will never listen to people of wiser ground. They're just in their own world. Thanks.
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